Archmage
by Jak O'9s
Summary: Dumbledore takes Harry to a far away place where he learns to use the power that the Dark Lord knows not. Advanced magic is not all that Harry learns while he is away. AU HG RHr NL
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I own nothing that J.K. Rowling does.

_**ARCHMAGE**_

After Albus Dumbledore had returned the last light to its proper lamp post on Privet Drive and made his departure, another oddly dressesed fellow made his way to the stoop of Number 4. The man was wrinkly and as crooked as the gnarled staff he carried, wearing tattered gray robes that hung from his frail body with his face covered by his hood and his long white beard. He bent down to examine the bundle that was the worlds newest hero and lay a wrinkled hand across his brow, rubbing the newley made cut on his forehead, mumbling incoherently to himself. There was a bright flash of blue light and the old man straitened himself up with the help of his staff, and as quick as he came, he was gone.

15 years later...

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, going over the weekly Death Eater reports that his spy, Severus Snape, had given him earlier that day. The reports detailed upcoming attacks against wizard and muggle families alike, and it was Dumbledore's hope that they could all be prevented or at least avoid casualties. It was thanks to one of these reports that he had been able to rescue the Weasley family (most were members of Dumbledore's underground group, The Order of the Phoenix), as well as the Granger family (a muggle family from which a very talented witch had come) and sent them into hiding.

Dumbledore sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes and thinking about what had happened in his office barely a month ago, when he had put the weight of the world onto a fifteen year old boys shoulders. Barely a month ago he had revealed to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, that the only one with the power to destroy the Dark Lord Voldemort, was himself. Harry had the expected reaction of rage mixed with violence, though part of that could owe to the recent death of his godfather, Sirius Black, who had been dead less than two hours when Dumbledore revealed to Harry a prophecy detailing that he was the only one capable of destroying Voldemort. The prophecy stated that Harry was to have a power that the Dark Lord did not have, but he continually stated that he had no such power. Dumbledore, however, had a sinking suspicion as to what that power was, having gone through a similar process in his earlier life, prior to his fight with the dark wizard Grindelwald.

Dumbledore straitened up in his chair and nearly jumped out of it with surprise by what he saw. Leaning against his fire place was none other than the wizard responsible for who he was today, the Legendary Arch-Mage Merlin himself.

" Great Merlin!" Dumbledore exclaimed, getting up from his chair and approaching his former mentor. "What, might I ask, brings you here?"

"Ah, Albus!" Merlin replied, shaking the younger mans hand. "With the times as dark as they are I'm sure you can guess as to why I'm here."

"You are here to take Harry to the Academy I presume?" Dumbledore stated more than asked, knowing the probable answer.

"The Supression Barrier I put on him as a child is beginning to wear thin, and since he knows of the prophecy I see no reason for him not to attend." Merlin explained. "You know of the time flow difference Albus, he will be back in time for school."

"When do you wish to take him then?"

"As soon as possible."

Dumbledore walked to his window overlooking the castle grounds and said, "His birthday is in two days. I will bring him here and then you may take him."

"I shall return in two days time then, Albus." with that he nodded and was gone.


	2. Hello, Goodbye

Disclaimer: once again, I own nothing.

_**ARCHMAGE**_

Harry Potter sat on his bed at Number 4 Privet Drive reading a Spellbook titled _1001 Harmful Hexes and Curses_. He had just finished reading about a Petrification Curse that left the target in a petrified state, much like the victims of the Basilisk in his second year. The only known ways to reverse this effect was with a mandrake draught, or with the spells long lost counter-curse. In fact, Harry had begun to notice early on in the book that the counter-curses for most Dark Art spells were long lost. He believed that this was was why most of them were considered to be Dark Arts owing to the fact that only time and other magical properties could heal the wounds and effects left by these curses.

Harry had been reading and studying this and several other similar books the entire summer he had been at Privet Drive with his despised Aunt and Uncle and their oversized son, Dudley. It was with the words of the prophesy heavy on his mind that he began his rigorous study sessions to increase his repertoire of spells so that during his next battle with Voldemort or his Death Eaters he would be able to do more than stun and disarm. Ever since the Department of Mysteries incident in which he and his friends almost died and his godfather, Sirius Black, did die and he had learned of the prophecy that stated that he and only he could defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort, Harry had decided that he would protect his friends at all costs, even if it meant delving into the Dark Arts.

As he finished reading about the Petrification Curse he marked his page, stood and stretched, hearing the familiar crack of his bones ressetting themselves. He walked over to his desk, which was empty except for three opened letters. The first two were from Ron and Hermione, his two best friends. Ron's letter said that the Burrow (his family home) had been attacked but that he and his family were safe and at headquarters. Hermione's letter said more or less the same thing only in a longer and more detailed fashion. These two letters were what had driven him to study up on the Dark Arts. He knew that they were targeted because of their friendship with him and he knew that there was a better chance of Voldemort surrendering himself to the muggle police than there was of Ron & Hermione abandoning him. He smirked to himself that Hermione would probably scold him for delving in the Dark Arts, even if it was, ironically, for protection.

The third letter, which he had received only the day before, was from his Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. The letter stated that he would be arriving at Number 4 Privet Drive the next day at noon. Harry briefly wondered what Dumbledore would say if he knew of him delving into the Dark Arts, but then dismissed the thought with the notion that Dumbledore would understand his desire to protect his friends.

"Well," Harry said to himself. "we'll get to see about that tomorrow." Harry returned to his book, turning the page to find yet another interesting, but lethal spell.

The next day found Harry packing all of his belongings into his trunk. His watch said 11:50 and he was expecting Dumbledore at 12:00. He had all of his stuff packed except for his _1001 Harmful Hexes and Curses_ spellbook, which he intended to read more of while waiting for Dumbledore. He sat on his bed and re-read the passage about the Petrification Curse:

_This curse was said to have been developed by Salazar Slytherin himself, intended to be used upon his rival, Godric Griffindor during one of their battles. The spell functions like the _indirect_ gaze of a Basilisk, putting the victim into a stone like state. It is rumored that when the incantation for the curse is said in Parsletongue, it functions like the _direct_ gaze of a Basilisk, killing the victim instead of petrifying them._

Harry closed the book and looked at his watch, which now read 12:03.

"Damn." Harry muttered, cursing himself for the loss of time. "I'm late."

"Language, Harry." Harry looked up to see his schools Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, standing in his room with his pet Phoenix, Fawkes atop his shoulder.

"Professor!" Harry exclaimed, rolling off his bed and dropping his book in the process. "Sorry! Lost track of the time." Harry apologized throwing the last of his belongings into his trunk and closing it. He picked up his owls cage and turned to Dumbledore. "Okay, I'm ready." Dumbledore, however, had his attention turned to the book Harry had dropped.

"Might I inquire as to why you are reading this, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, the normal twinkle in his eyes gone.

"Well," Harry took a deep breath. "I wanted to have a better understanding of what I was fighting against. After watching you and Voldemort duel I realized that I am no where near ready to beat him, so I started reading these books on the Dark Arts so that next time I encounter him or his Death Eaters, I can do more than stun or disarm them." Harry took another deep breath, " I also thought it would come in handy to be able to identify what spells the Death Eaters are using, in case someone gets hit by one and needs instant medical attention." he finished, his mind travelling back to Hermione, when she was hit by the curse that nearly killed her.

A smile made its way across Dumbledore's face and the twinkle returned to his eyes. "So, you mean to tell me that you intend to use the Dark Arts to fight the Dark Arts?"

"Yes sir," Harry said, almost timidly. "after the Department of Mysteries I don't think they would be expecting it."

Dumbledore gave a light chuckle. "I believe you are right, Harry. I doubt even Voldemort expects you to know anything about the Dark Arts. However," he paused to sort out his train of thought. "I strongly suggest that you save those spells for emergencies."

"I will, sir," Harry sighed in relief.

"Now," Dumbledore said, excitement back in his voice. "gather your things and grab ahold of Fawkes."

"Are we going to Headquarters?" Harry asked eagerly, placing his hand on Fawkes' tail.

"We will be stopping by for lunch." Dumbledore said, but when a look of confusion crossed Harry's face, he continued, "We have something that needs to be taken care of, and it will take the remainder of the summer."

Before Harry could ask what, they disappeared in a cloud of flame.

They reappeared in the living room of the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. As Harry straitened himself up, he was tackled by what looked like a furry brown bush and a wave of fire. He instantly realized it as Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. Both girls were hugging him so he returned the hug one armed, one for each. As they realeased him and he stood up, he saw the image of his best friend Ron walking towards him. He shook his hand and was pulled into a one armed man-hug.

"Great to see ya, mate!" Ron exclaimed. Ron, as always, seemed to have shot up another few inches.

"You to Ron," Harry replied, turning his attention to the two girls. "It's good to see you two as well."

"Thanks Harry," Hermione replied.

"How has your summer been, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Fairly uneventful," he said, not wanting to bring up his recent delving into the Dark Arts. "How about yours?"

"Other than being targeted by Voldemort, fairly uneventful," she smiled at him in a mimicking sort of way.

"Sorry to hear that," Harry replied, noticing that Ginny, like Ron, had changed since he last saw her, but he couldn't tell how.

"Give me a hand with your trunk, Harry, and I'll help you take it up to our room." Ron said, amusement in his voice.

"Actually I was only stopping b here," Harry said, remembering that he and Dumbledore would be leaving soon. Looks of depression crossed over Ron and Hermione, while Ginny simply looked crestfallen. "Dumbledore said that we had something to do and that it would take the rest of summer." Harry explained to his friends.

"Oh" was all that could be heard from the three teenagers. They stood in silence for a while until the voice of Mrs. Weasley rang throughout the house. "LUNCH!!!!!" The four teens made their way into the kitchen where Harry was engulfed in a bone breaking hug by the Weasley matriarch.

"So good to see you, Harry!" she exclaimed.

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Weasley!" Harry replied.

They all sat at one end of the table, Ron and Hermione on one side, with Harry and Ginny on the other. The four ate in silence, obviously upset that Harry would only be here for a little while longer before going off with Dumbledore to do who knows what. The silence was broken when Harry asked, "So Ron, what did you guys do before the attack?"

"A little de-gnoming, cleaning house, and some homework." Ron replied, soundeing rather bored at the thought.

"How about you, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"My parents and I were abroad when Dumbledore came and got us. He informed us of the attempted attack on the Weasley's and brought me here and sent my parents into hiding with one of his operatives on the continent." Hermione replied.

"Ginny?" Harry said, turning his attention to the red haired firecracker.

"Hm?" she said, pulling her gaze from what Harry thought was the wall behind him.

"Your summer. Before the attack. How was it?" Harry asked, stopping every now and then to make sure she was paying attention.

Ginny looked wide eyed before saying, "About like what Ron said."

"And what did Ron say?" Harry asked, knowing that she hadn't been paying attention.

"Umm," Ginny looked around, searching for help, but when she found none she said in an unconvincing way, "Quidditch?"

The other three teens burst into laughter at her attempted cover up of not paying attention.

"O sod off you three," Ginny said, looking at her plate.

"You kiss Dean with that mouth, Ginny?" Hermione said between laughs.

The laughing stopped flowing from Harry and Ron as they stared at Ginny, who had turned a light shade of red.

"You've been kissing Dean?" Ron said through clenched teeth.

"It's none of your business, Ron," Ginny said through equally clenched teeth. "but if it makes you feel better, no I haven't."

"What about that time Dean went over to your house?" Hermione asked, having finally stopped laughing.

"I don't remember Dean coming over to our house!" Ron said, accusingly.

"Thats because you were helping the twins at their shop that day." Hermione said, ignoring the glare from Ginny.

"You were alone at home, with a boy?!?!" Ron said, his ears turning a bright red.

"No, I wasn't, Mom was there too," Ginny hissed. "and if you remember that was the day we got word that we were supposed to be attacked, so I had to cancel Dean's visit, something he wasn't very happy with."

The siblings squabble was cut short when Dumbledore approached.

"Harry," he began, "we will be leaving in 15 minutes, be in the living room then."

"Do you have any idea where your going, Harry?" Hermione asked after a few moments of silence.

"I haven't the foggiest." Harry said, returning to his meal.

"When will you be back?" Ginny asked, the previous argument with her brother forgotten.

"Once again, I haven't the foggiest." Harry replied. "But I should be back before school starts. Speaking of school, have either of you gotten your O.W.L. results back?"

There was a chorus of "No" followed by Hermione saying, "I wish they'd hurry up and get here. All this waiting is killing me." Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at this.

The next few minutes went by faster than any of them would have liked and before they knew it, Harry was saying goodbye to them. He gave Ron another one armed man-hug. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley both gave him a bone crushing hug while telling him to be safe and to stay out of trouble. He looked around for Ginny, wanting another of her hugs, and saw her standing in the kitchen.

"Hey Gin," he said, walking over to her. "Why aren't you in the living room?"

"I wanted to speak to you alone before you left again." she said looking up at him.

"About what?"

"I..,"she hesitated. "I've just got this feeling that the next time I see you, something will have happened to you."

"What do you mean by something?"

"Something...something to do with Voldemort." she finished in a whisper. "I've just got this feeling that what ever you and Dumbledore are about to do involves Voldemort in some way, and it's going to change you."

"Well, regardless of how it changes me, I'll still be me." Harry said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I know," Ginny said smiling for the first time since she learned he's be leaving again. "I know that regardless of what happens you'll be coming back."

Harry turned to leave but stopped when Ginny said his name. He turned back towards her and was met with a mane of fiery red hair in his face as she embraced him in a hug that simultaneously rivaled Hermione and her mother. He was taken by surprise, but quickly recovered and returned the hug with equal ferocity. They stayed like that for some time and only stopped when someone cleared their throat.

"Harry, it's time to go." Dumbledore said from the doorway, his blue eyes twinkling mischieviously.

"Ok Professor, I'm coming." Harry said as he reluctantly released Ginny and followed Dumbledore into the living room. He said a last round of goodbyes and grabbed ahold of his belongings in one hand and Fawkes in the other. The last thing he saw was Ginny smiling a radiant smile at him and waving slightly.

The two wizards reappeared in an open field. surrounded by tall grass and even taller rocks.

"Where are we, Professor?" Harry asked straitening his clothes.

"This," Dumbledore replied. "is Stonhenge. We are meeting an old friend of mine here to discuss matters of great importance."

"When will he be here?" Harry asked, trying and failing to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

"Five minutes ago." a knew voice interrupted. Harry glanced in the direction of the voice and drew his wand. When he saw that no one was there, he turned back to Dumbledore, only to come face to face with an even older man. Startled, Harry jumed back only to trip on a rock that he was sure had not been there a moment before.

"Ahh. I apologize for our lateness," Dumbledore said, looking at Harry in amusement. "but some of us were a little caught up in the moment of, shall we say...saying goodbye."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Harry said, pulling himself up, blushing slightly. "it won't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't." the old man said. "Well come along Dumbledore, we need to get back." Dumbledore shrunk Harry's belongings, allowing him to pocket them. The trio of wizards made there way down into the valley of Stonehenge, stopping at the large rock structure.

"Everyone in." the old man ordered. Harry and Dumbledore follwed him into the center of the rock formation where he stopped and pulled out a white globe. "Everyone grab on." After they all had a hand on the globe, the old man began to mumble incoherently in a way that sounded oddly familiar to Harry. When he finished, a flash of blue light surrounded Harry and drained from him into the globe. When all of the light had transferred there was a bright flash of light and Harry felt a pull behind his navel, similar to that of a portkey. When the light ended, Harry looked around expecting to see an entirely new place. It was the same.

"The Stonehenge is an interdimensional portal between our realm and the realm of Avalon." Dumbledore explained when a look of confusion adorned Harry's face.

"Oh..ok." Harry replied a little unsure. "What are we doing here?"

"Training," the old man said. "you need to be better prepared for the next time you fight that monster and his cronies."

"But why here of all places?" Harry asked. "why not at Hogwarts where it's safe?"

"This place is "safe" my boy." the old man replied. "no one can get into or out of Avalon without my say so."

"How many people are here then? Surely one of them could let outsiders in?" Harry shot back, not entirely trusting this new environment.

"Well I suppose your right that in theory other people in Avalon could help outsiders into Avalon, but, I don't think you have to worry about that, sonny." the old man told Harry matter-of-factly.

"And why is that?"

"Because there's only three people In Avalon right now." the old man said, ending the argument. "You sure you brought me the right one Albus?"

"Quite sure, Merlin." Dumbledore replied, not noticing that Harry had stopped in his tracks.

"Y-y-your M-Merlin?!?!" Harry stammered, unable to believe it. "THE Merlin?"

"The one and only," Merlin replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"But, the History books all said you died after your battle with Morgan le Fay!" Harry exclaimed.

"Bah! Historians only believe something to be dead when it cannot be found anymore." Merlin said, shaking his head. "I came here after I defeated her to rest and recover from our battle."

"So what will you be teaching me?" Harry asked eagerley.

"Nothing," Merlin replied.

"But you said I came here for training?" Harry inquired.

"You are, but you asked if "I" would be teaching you anything. I won't be teaching you anything, because everything I could teack you, you already know. Albus and I are just here to help you understand your powers." Merlin said.

"What power's?" Harry asked, confused.

"_The power the Dark Lord knows not_!" Merlin quoted. "did you think that power was just gonna appear randomly when you needed it the most? No! You have that power inside you, and with our help it will be brought out!"

"What power is it?! What does it do?!" Harry yelled.

"You will see in due time." Merlin responded.

Harry frowned. "So, if you two are going to help me understand my powers, does that mean that you two have been through the same experiences?"

The two older wizards shared a glance before Dumbledore said, "Similar experiences, Harry. I came here to train with Merlin before my fight with Grindelwald. But you must understand Harry, just because you have these power's, that does 'not' make you all powerful. If you remember, Voldemort was my equal in combat and he never received the training that I did. I think that before we commence, there is something you should see." Dumbledore motioned to Merlin, who snapped his finger's and all three of them appeared in what looked like a museum.

"Where are we now?" Harry asked, wishing he knew more about this new world.

"This, Harry, will someday hold a record of your fight with Voldemort." Merlin said. "This is where we keep records of all battles between the Dark Lords and the brave wizards that stand against them. Welcome, to the ARCHMAGE ACADEMY!!!"

well there's the first chapter. anyone interested in being a beta let me know.


	3. Reason's Unknown

Disclaimer: once again, I own nothing.

_**ARCHMAGE**_

As Harry stood in awe of what lay before him, Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Ahem, now that Harry is in your charge, Merlin, I have some affairs that need to be seen to."

"Very well Albus, when will you be returning?" Merlin asked.

"I should think that I will be done in a little over a year," at this Harry's jaw dropped. "I will return then to check on Harry's progress."

"A y-year!?" Harry stuttered. "but sir, school starts in a month, and if I'm here for a year I'll miss it!"

"Alas Harry, I forgot to mention the time difference of Avalon."

"Time difference? What time difference?"

"One month in Avalon is equal to one day in our world. So one year here would only be twelve days in our world. And two and half years here would be equal to one month in our world." Dumbledore explained. "So you see, you'll have plenty of time before school starts to begin your training to become an Archmage."

"Ah." Harry looked thoughtful for a moment and then asked, "What sort of 'affairs' do you have to tend to?"

"Mostly Order business and security details," Dumbledore responded. "Oh, and their is also the matter of choosing a new Minister that I must see to."

"Lets hope they pick someone that knows what there doing." Harry muttered.

"The two candidates are Amos Diggory and Arthur Weasley." Dumbledore chuckled. "Both are in the Order and both know what is at stake. And on that note I must be on my way."

Merlin told Harry to look around the Museum until he returned, and then he and Dumbledore were gone.

Harry began exploring the Museum, starting with a painting that depicted Merlin doing battle with Morgan le Fay. The next item was a rusty looking blade that looked as if it had been struck by lightning numerous times. The plaque read:

_With this sword as his only tool Sir Lancelot defeated the d'Archmage Maleagant and his dragon Melwas, who had abducted his queen and lover, Guinevere._

As Harry continued on he came across a painting that depicted Sir Lancelot thrusting his sword through the head of a dragon with a bolt of lightning exploding from the tip and arching towards what Harry assumed to be Maleagant.

"Ah yes," Merlin's voice awoke him from his stupor. "that was an interesting outcome."

"What happened?" Harry asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "I always thought that Lancelot was a knight, not a wizard."

"He was a knight, and a damn good one to." Merlin started. " y'see, back then there weren't any wizarding schools like there are today, so wizards had either train themselves or seek out another wizard to teach them. Lancelot could have been a great wizard, but unfortunately, I was never able to teach him."

"How come?" Harry interrupted.

"I'm getting there." Merlin snapped. "By the time I met him I already had an apprentice, Maleagant. That boy was one of the most gifted pupils I ever taught. But unfortunately, all that power went to his head and before any of us knew it, he was a d'Archmage, just like Morgan..." Merlin's voice had adopted a hint of sadness.

Harry noticed this and decided to give him some time with his thoughts and returned his attention to the painting. Upon this second glance he noticed that Lancelot had one of the dragons fangs stuck in his arm, and that at the dragons feet lay a fair skinned maiden with flaming red hair, and Harry could not help but be reminded of Ginny and that he would not see her for the next two and a half years...or any of his other friends, he quickly reminded himself.

A few more moments passed in silence before Harry spoke up.

"What exactly is an Archmage?" Harry asked.

"An Archmage is a magical being that has gone beyond the normal standard of magic." Merlin replied, all sadness gone from his voice.

"I could've guessed that." Harry responded. "What I mean is HOW do they go beyond the normal standard of magic?"

"First, you need a reason to go beyond the normal standard of magic, only then can you ascend to an Archmage."

"How do I know if my reason is the right reason?"

"Because if it's not the right reason, then you won't ascend."

"How long will this take?"

"It can take any amount of time, depends on how good your reasoning skills are."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Lets get started!" Harry started to walk off when Merlin stopped him.

"We won't be doing anything until you have ascended."

"Okay, what do I do?"

"Follow me." Merlin walked off with Harry following him.

Merlin led Harry into a large room with an arch in the middle of it. The room reminded Harry of the Death Room at the Department of Mysteries. Merlin told Harry to stand in the middle of the archway and to think about why he wanted to ascend. For the next half hour Harry stood in the archway reapeating _to defeat Voldemort, to defeat Voldemort_ in his head.

"I don't think that your quite ready to ascend yet." Merlin said, breaking the silence.

"What was I doing wrong?" Harry asked, rubbing his temples.

"What reason did you give for wanting to ascend?"

"I wanted to defeat Voldemort."

"That is a good reason but not a good enough reason to ascend to Archmage."

"Then what is a good enough reason to ascend?"

"You'll have to discover that on your own." Merlin said as he led Harry back up to the Museum.

"Sir?" Harry asked once they were back in the Museum.

"Please, call me Merlin."

"Ok, sir, I mean Merlin," Harry stumbled out.

"Yes?"

"What is a d'Archmage?"

"That is a term we use to describe someone of great power and great evil." Merlin replied. "They are our opposites."

"Also, I was wondering, if Lancelot never undertook wizard training, how did he become an Archmage?"

"He found his reason for ascending when Maleagant abducted Guinevere."

"What was his reason?"

"Your a smart lad, I'm sure that you'll figure it out." Merlin told him. "We will continue this tomorrow. Just concentrate on any where you want to go, and you will be taken there."

Harry closed his eyes and thought of going to a bedroom. When he oppened them he was in a small room with a small bed.

"You've got to be kidding me," Harry sighed. Thinking about what Merlin said, Harry imagined a room like the one he had at Hogwarts. This time when he oppened his eyes he was in a room that looked exactly like his dorm at Hogwarts. "I think I'm gonna like this."

Harry unshrunk his belongings and changed into his PJ's. He lay in bed processing the previous day and wondering what reason you had to have for ascending to Archmage. His dreams that night centered on the painting of Lancelot saving his lover Guinevere from Maleagant and his dragon, with interludes of his own battle to save a fair skinned maiden with flaming red hair from a dragon and its dark master.

AN: there's chapter two. I'll be done with school next week so I'll have some more time to write. I'm also gonna try and have the next chapter up before the weekend lets out. Also, thank yous go out to

panther73110

leigh194

GinnyLover14

thank you for the reviews.


	4. History of the Archmage's

Disclaimer: once again, I own nothing.

_**ARCHMAGE**_

The next day found Harry and Merlin back in the room with the arch. Harry had spent the past hour trying to ascend but to no avail.

"This isn't working!" Harry said, dropping to his knees. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Is your reason for ascending still wanting to defeat Voldemort?" Merlin asked.

"Yea, I've even re-worded it several times but nothings worked!"

"I think we should stop for now, its obvious that you won't ascend today." Merlin turned and started out the door.

Reluctantly Harry got up and followed the aged wizard. Once they were back in the Museum Merlin turned to Harry and said "I think a history lesson is in order,"

"Over Archmages?" Harry asked.

"Over the first three...Other than myself. Follow me." Merlin led Harry over to the painting of Lancelot fighting Maleagant, and began to lecture:

"Lancelot was one of the first Archmages. He never received training in the art of Wizardry, but he was quick to master the powers of the Archmage. He came to me and asked for help when his lover, Guinevere was abducted by Maleagant. At first I thought it was his loyalty to Arthur that gave him the desire to save her, but when he was able to ascend on the first try I knew otherwise. His battle with Maleagant's dragon, Melwas, was incredible. In such a short amount of time he had infused his Archmage powers with his swordsmanship. This painting is based on how he defeated Melwas and gravely injured Maleagant. He and Maleagant fought several times after that, each time Maleagant barely escaping with his life. During their final confrontation, Maleagant died when Lancelot's sword pierced his heart, several years after their first encounter."

"What initiated the last battle between Lancelot and Maleagant?" Harry asked after several moments.

"The same thing that started their first battle. Maleagant tried to abduct Guinevere."

"Tried to?"

"Yes. Lancelot had a feeling that Maleagant would try to abduct her again, so he brought her here and disguised himself as her, and when Maleagant's men abducted him, he struck." Merlin finished.

"What happened to Lancelot and Guinevere?"

"They were happily married."

"And King Arthur was ok with that?"

"Yes, why wouldn't he have been?" Merlin asked, then realization dawned. "You're thinking of the muggle version."

"Muggle version?"

"In the muggle version Arthur and Guinevere were husband and wife, and Guinevere was twenty years Lancelot's senior. In the REAL version, Guinevere was Arthurs youngest and only daughter, as well as several years Lancelot's junior."

"That makes sense." Harry said. "How did Maleagant abduct Guinevere in the first place? If she was the Kings daughter, shouldn't she have had at least some protection?"

"I'm getting to that, and she was taken from her bed chamber, along with her two handmaiden's, who were her only protection inside her bed chamber."

"What happened to her handmaidens when she was abducted?"

"They too were held at ransom."

"Did Lancelot save them as well?"

"No. His two accomplices did."

"He had help?"

"Not against Maleagant. Maleagant was his and his alone to fight. Gawain and Lionel saved the two handmaiden's. Which brings us to our next story." Merlin led Harry a little ways down to another painting.

This painting depicted a knight surrounded by fire. Only instead of being trapped by the fire, he appeared to be using it as a shield. At his feet lay a maiden who's face was concealed by her long brown hair. On the outside of the fire were what looked like living corpses, and high above them on a rock stood a black robed figure, commanding the corpses.

"This is a painting of Gawain fighting Mordred. They were half-brothers." Merlin began.

"If Guinevere was King Arthur's daughter wouldn't that make her and Mordred related?" Harry asked.

"Brother and Sister. Mordred was one of Arthur's first children while Guinevere was one of the last."

"If Guinevere was his sister why would he help Maleagant?"

"I'm getting there. Save the rest of your questions until you've heard the whole story." Merlin then showed him another painting.

This painting depicted a knight surrounded by trees, vines, and other varieties of plants. He was cradling the limp body of a gold haired maiden. Above them were two black robed figures. One was a charred corpse, while the other was fighting off some rather sharp looking tree branches.

"This is a painting of Lionel fighting Turquine. And that charred corpse is the body of Melehan, Turquine's nephew." Merlin explained. "Now that you've seen those two paintings, on with the story!" And once again Merlin began to lecture:

"Gawain and Lionel were like Lancelot, they were both very talented knights and had the potential to be great wizards. But, unfortunately, I was already training Maleagant when I met them. Those two and Lancelot were inseperable. They did everything together, be it jousting or chores. Everything just seemed perfect to them. It was after Lancelot met Guinevere that things started to go sour. Gawain, who was Guinevere's slightly older brother, was ecstatic at the idea of having Lancelot as a brother, as were most of her siblings. All except one. Mordred, who had joined with Maleagant and was working as his spy, had promised his sister's hand to Melehan, another who had openly joined with Maleagant, with the hopes that he would keep Mordred's true alliegance secret. It was when Guinevere and Lancelot began their frequent late night rendezvous' that he and Melehan went to their master.

"Maleagant told Melehan that if he wanted the maiden then he should take her, and with Mordreds help he and his uncle Turquine, Maleagant's right hand man, entered the castle in the dead of night and abducted Guinevere and her two handmaiden's, Lynette and Elaine. News of the abduction spread fast and two days after it had taken place Lancelot, Gawain, and Lionel were begging me for help. I brought them here and took them to the Room of Ascendence and surprisingly they all three were able to ascend on their first attempt. I understood how Lancelot accomplished the feat, but I was baffled that Gawain and Lionel were able to do so as well. It was upon their return that I realized that they felt for Guinevere's handmaiden's what Lancelot felt for Guinevere. After training them for a short time I sent them on their way. When they reached Maleagant's castle, they found that Melehan was wasting no time in making Guinevere his. The three knights burst into the chapel and stopped the wedding, causing Maleagant to flee grabbing the would be bride in the process, followed by Mordred who grabbed Lynette on his way out the door.

"Gawain immediatley followed his older brother. It was during their battle that the roots of Mordred's betrayl came to light. He wanted power and control among other things, and Maleagant was able to give him that. Maleagant gave him the power to ascend to a d'Archmage, and with this power he delved deep into the darkest of all magic, Necromancy. Mordred summoned the forsaken beasts known as the Inferi and attacked his younger brother with them. Gawain, as the painting shows, used fire to defeat them and his brother.

While Gawain and Mordred fought, Lionel and Lancelot fought with Turquine and Melehan. Lancelot defeated Melehan rather quickly with a bolt of lightning and took off after Maleagant, leaving Lionel to face Turquine alone. Turquine, like Mordred, had also joined Maleagant for power and so he too had ascended to a d'Archmage. Through most of their battle Turquine had the upperhand, until Lionel used his newfound magic to collapse the castle and escape with Elaine. He fled with her into the forest, only to be ambushed by Turquine. It was their that Turquine met his end."

Merlin took a deep breath after finishing his tale, and waited for Harry to voice any question's he had.

Harry stood there, thinking back to how the three knights managed to ascend on their first attempt.

_What was their reason for ascending?_ Harry asked himself, pounding his fist on his head._ Well let's see, Lancelot wanted to save Guinevere, Gawain wanted to save Lynette, and Lionel wanted to save Elaine. What am I missing? _A few more minutes passed and then a look of understanding appeared on Harry's face.

Merlin noticed this and said, "Caught on now have we?"

Harry just grinned back and responded, "I feel like a fool fo not getting it right before now. Let's go back to the Chamber of Ascendence."

Once they were back in the Chamber of Ascendence, Harry stood in the archway and started chanting in his mind _I need to ascend to save my love, I need to ascend to save my love._ As usual nothing happened.

"It seems we've hit a snag." Merlin said, fingering his beard.

"Why won't I ascend?!" Harry snapped, frustration getting the better of him. "I thought you said that love was the reason you had to give to ascend!"

"It is. But apparently you weren't specific enough. What kind of love were you focussing on?"

"I was saying that i wanted to save my love."

"That won't do. It needs to be the type of love you can't put words to."

Harry thought for a moment and then stood back in the archway. This time he started thinking about all of his friends, particularly those that stood by him at the Department of Mysteries. Images of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny swam around in his mind. He felt a sudden surge of power burst through him at the thought of Ginny but it left as soon as it came. He tried to focus on her again but he slowly slipped out of the trance he never knew he entered.

AN: Well thats chapter 3. I must say I'm a bit surprised at how well this is doing. I tried to do a fic a few years back but it was more of a 'for the hell of it' kind of fic, so this is actually my first REAL fanfic.

I'd also like to thank

desartratt

Mikee

GodricsPhoenix

Chaosmagi

K.dogan

leigh194

&

ginny-potter-07

for the awsome reviews!!


	5. Back at Headquarters

Disclaimer: once again, I own nothing.

_**ARCHMAGE**_

Ron Weasley was shocked by what he had just heard. After Harry's departure with Dumbledore he had shut himself up in his room and lay down on his bed to read _Flying with the Cannons_, his favorite book. Moments later he heard a faint sound coming from beneath him. He looked around for the source of the noise, but found nothing so he went back to reading, only to here it again after a minute. This time he got up and put his head to the floor and heard a faint mumbling. He was about to get up when he heard his name as well as his best friends name coming from the floor. He scrambled off of the floor and started digging through his trunk, littering the floor with his possessions. He stopped when he found his Extendible-Ear and then resumed his place on the floor with the Extendible-Ear pressed hard against the floor and began to listen.

_"—feelings for Harry."_

_"Well of course you do! You've liked the boy for years!"_

_"I know, but I thought I got over him."_

_"You said you gave 'up' on him."_

_"I did."_

_"So your not anymore?"_

_"No. I mean yes. URRGHH!! I don't know!!"_

_"So do you like him or not?"_

_"Of course I like him, he's my friend."_

_"So you wouldn't mind if I went after him then?"_

_"You wouldn't, your to smitten with my moron of a brother to do anything with another guy."_

At this Ron sucked in a large quantity of air, and coughed.

_"Did you here that?"_

_"Here what?"_

_"Never mind. So tell me, do you still have feelings for Harry?"_

_"Of course I do. I think I always will. I just wish he'd see me as more than Ron's little sister."_

_"Between you and me, I think he already has."_

_gasp "Really?"_

_"Yea."_

_"When?"_

_"Today at lunch. When I brought up you and Dean."_

_"Why did you bring that up?"_

_"I wanted to see what Harry's reaction would be."_

_"What was it?"_

_"Didn't you see it?"_

_"No. I was too busy arguing with your 'Dear Ronald' to notice."_

_"He looked like he wanted to throw something."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yes, really. And after that little show you two made when he left I'd say he definitely sees you as more than Ron's sister."_

After a long sigh followed by several minutes of silence, Ron stood up and layed down on his bed having a mental conversation with himself over what he had just heard.

_So Ginny still have feelings for Harry. _

**Obviously**

_Then why is she with Dean?_

**Maybe to make Harry jealous?**

_I hope that's the case, and that she's not to serious about Dean. I like Dean as a friend but I do NOT want him near my sister._

**Remember what he did to that Ravenclaw girl he dated before Ginny?**

Jolted out of his mental conversation by the thought of Dean's dating record, Ron left his room and went down to his sisters room to have a talk to her about her alleged boyfriend.

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Ron was on his way to the girls room when he heard his mother calling him for supper. He looked at the clock on the wall and discovered he must have fallen asleep while in his room as it was now six at night. He decided he could wait to have his talk with Ginny and made his way downstairs. When he entered the kitchen he found Hermione and Ginny sitting at the table along with, much to his surprise, Dumbledore.

"Where's Harry at?" Ron asked at the sight of Dumbledore, taking a seat near Hermione.

"Not to worry, he is with an old friend of mine at the moment." Dumbledore replied.

"So, Albus, what brings you around twice in one day?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Earlier was so that Harry could say goodbye to his friends before he left." Dumbledore began, but was soon interrupted by Ginny.

"Where did he go?"

"He went with an old friend of mine for some," Dumbledore paused, "summer lessons."

Ginny nodded and turned her attention back to her plate.

"And the reason that I'm here now is because I have an announcment to make." Dumbledore said. "As you all know, Cornelious Fudge was stripped of his title of Minister of Magic, and in the past few weeks the Wizengamat has been trying to elect a knew Minister. Today the Minister was finally elected. The new Minister of Magic is---"

Dumbledore was interrupted by the fireplace roaring to life and Severus Snape stepping out of it.

"—Severus?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Bloody Hell!! Snape is the Minister of Magic!?!?" Ron moaned causing Hermione to slap his arm while trying to sifle a giggle.

"No, Mr. Weasley, I am not." Snape sneered. "Headmaster I have _urgent _news."

"What is it, Severus?" Snape leaned down and whispered something into Dumbledore's ear causing his face to pale. Dumbledore whistled and Fawkes the Phoenix was at his side. He pulled a quill and some parchment from his sleeve and scribbled down a note.

"Take this to the Lovegood's as soon as you drop me off, bring them with you on your way to pick me up." Dumbledore said while putting the parchment in Fawkes' open beak before they disappeared in a burst of flame.

Several moments of silence passed.

"So, Severus, will you be joining us for dinner?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No thank you Molly, I have other business to attend to." Snape replied, without his usual sneer, as he turned and left the way he came.

Several more moments of silence passed.

"So," Ron started. "who do think the new MinisterISS!!"

Ron was interrupted by another burst of fire, followed by several people falling to the floor, including him.

"Oh!" Hermione cried, leaning down to help Ron up. "Are you all right?!"

"I'm fine." Ron said, enjoying the attention he received from Hermione as he got up. "Thanks."

When Ron sat back at the table he noticed that Dumbledore had returned, and had brought two people with him.

"Neville! Luna!" Ginny said. "What brings you here?"

"The same reason you three are here, Miss Weasley." Dumbledore stated.

"Then where is Luna's father? And Neville's Gran?" Ginny questioned, at the absense of her two friends guardians.

"Daddy is on the continent, doing research for his book, _Miraculous Beasts and Where NOT to Find Them._" Luna replied, taking a seat across from Ron.

"And Gran's on Holiday with some friends of hers." Neville put in, sitting beside Luna.

While this transaction was taking place, Mrs. Weasley put a plate full of food in front of Neville and Luna, who thanked her.

"Anyway, Albus," Mrs. Weasley started. "Who did you say the new minister is?"

"With all the excitement I forgot what I originally came here for.The new Minister of Magic is---"

Dumbledore was interrupted by the fireplace roaring to life, again, only this time Arthur Weasley stepped out.

"---Arthur Weasley."

The room went deathly quiet as everyone turned their attention in the direction of Mr. Weasley, seeking his confirmation. When he nodded, the kitchen erupted into cheers.

Once everyone had settled down and dinner had resumed, Ron turned to Luna and asked, "Any reason your family was targeted by the Death Eater's?"

Before Luna could answer, Dumbledore spoke up,

"It appears that the five of you were targeted because your actions at the Department of Mysteries last Spring. Since you five went with him, they see you as his closest friends. And since they couldn't get to him, they went after you."

"Speaking of Harry," Neville asked, "where is he?"

"I was wondering that as well," Luna put in, "I was under the impression that he stayed with the Weasley's for most of the summer."

"He is currently with an old friend of mine." Dumbledore said. "Which reminds me, I need to speak to you and Molly later, Arthur."

"Okay." Arthur said, between bites.

After dinner ended Ron helped Neville take his things up to the room he normally would have shared with Harry.

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After Neville put his things in the room, Ron went back down to the girls room and knocked. The door swung open to reveal Hermione.

"Ron? Did you need something?" Hermione asked.

"Can you send Ginny out here? I need to talk to her." Ron replied. "Sure." Hermione stepped aside and called for Ginny, who was helping Luna to set up a camping bed.

"What do you need, Ron?" Ginny asked when she got out into the hallway.

"I need to talk to you about Dean."

"Not this again. When will you get it through your head that I'm dating him?"

Ron ignored that last part. "Do you know about Dean's last relashionship? The one with that Ravenclaw girl?"

"No. What about it?"

"Well apparently, he was a bit abusive towards her."

"Honestly Ron, can you not think of anything better to do than try to break me and Dean up?"

"I'm just telling you what I heard. Cause the last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

"Well that's sweet of you Ron, but I can take care of myself."

"I know you can." Ron let out a sigh. "Just talk to Luna about it, she'll know what really happened."

"Okay, I will. Goodnight." Ginny said as she started to close the door.

"Oh, and Ginny."

"Yea?"

"I hope Harry comes around too." Ron said and bolted up the stairs, leaving a shocked and blushing Ginny behind him.

AN. That's chapter 4. Winter break has finally started and I have an entire month to kill before school starts back up. As soon as I finish this I'll be starting the next chapter so it should be up soon.

Thank yous go out to:

Gwenfrewi72

ginevra-james

Chaosmagi

desartratt

stardogg252

ginny-potter-07

haydenrocks14

leigh194

GodricsPhoenix

&

Ryan (I know the symbolism is easy to see through, and you pretty much hit the nail on the head with who symbolises who, but keep this in mind.

_Every game of chess__ uses the same pieces but no two games are the same._

And before I go I'm gonna give y'all a spoiler:

There is going to be a Halloween Ball once they get back to school, and since it's Halloween it's gonna be a costume ball. Here's the problem: I don't know anything about dresses, so unless you all want the three main girls to just wear a plain colored dress, I'm gonna need some ideas.

I'm sure that Ryan wasn't the only one that, made the connection from the last chapter so I think it's safe to say that the three main guys will be going as their respective knight, and the same goes for the girls. I know there are some of you out there that can design dresses so I'd appreciate your help. (reason I'm asking this now is because I'm expecting to be updating rather quickly.)


	6. Only a preview of things to come

AN:

This fic was a test run. The chapters that have been out so far have been roughdrafts/outlines for the real story. I used it as a test run to see how it would go over and I was pleased with the results I got. I hope that you guys will continue to read the real story which I hope to have out by sometime next week, and I will be taking this down when the real one goes up.

P.S. The idea for dresses request still stands.


	7. News

I'd like to apologize to anybody that got mad when I said that this was a test run. Sorry if you felt like you were used. I wanted to see what people thought about it as a real story and i didn't think the results would have been the same if i had started it off with "this is a test run".

Now that thats out of the way, I've hit a bit of a snag (in the form of writers block) while writing the real story (which is going to be close to twenty pages). I got stuck at the part that leads up to climax of the first chapter so it will NOT be out this week, and for that I apologize.

All progress reports about this story will be on my profile page from now on so that I don't have to upload a new chapter every time I have something to say.

And yes, the story is still going to be called Archmage. (it will, however, be divided into different parts)

thanks for your time


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